THE SHAMISEN SESSIONS, 'STORIES FROM THE WAR', Contemporary Dance Showcase and More Highlight Japan Society's 2014-15 Season

Japan Society announces its 2014-2015 Performing Arts Season featuring works by visionary artists in music, dance and theater. In this season, the Performing Arts Program presents two large-scale series of events: in music, The Shamisen Sessions in Fall 2014; and in Spring 2015, Stories from the War: Reflecting on WWII through Theater, a series of theater events marking the 70th anniversary of the end of WWII; in addition to long-running programs such as the Contemporary Dance Showcase, Annual Play Reading Series, a commission premiere and related events.

The season commences in September with The Shamisen Sessions, four distinct music events centered on Japan's unique centuries-old three-stringed instrument, from modern and experimental interpretations to world-class traditional explorations. The Shamisen Sessions, Vols. 1-4 offer a rare look at the versatility and evolution of one of Japan's most enduring instruments through distinct performances by star shamisen players, supported by related events and workshops spanning September - December 2014.

In dance this season, Japan Society presents the Contemporary Dance Showcase in January 2015, marking the 16th installment set to run in conjunction with The Association of Performing Arts Presenters' (APAP) annual New York City conference. In June, the Society presents the New York Premiere of Kota Yamazaki/Fluid hug-hug's OQ, a Japan Society commission.

To honor the 70th anniversary of the end of WWII, Japan Society presents three timely and topical theater offerings: the plays Zero Hour: Tokyo Rose's Last Tape (January) and Yokohama Rosa (April), and a rare double bill offering plays from the modern and traditional noh repertoires, New and Traditional Noh: Holy Mother in Nagasaki and Kiyotsune (May). Additionally in theater, Japan Society delivers the 11th installment of the Play Reading Series: Contemporary Japanese Plays in English Translation with Dancing with the Bird, written by Seiji Nozoe, translated and directed by James Yaegashi (March).

Productions and related events and workshops are detailed below. All events are at Japan Society, located at 333 East 47th Street. Tickets available to Japan Society members beginning Monday, August 4 in person at the box office or by calling 212-715-1258; tickets available to all beginning Monday, August 11. For tickets or more information, please visit www.japansociety.org, or call 212-715-1258.

JAPAN SOCIETY PERFORMING ARTS SCHEDULE, SEPTEMBER 2014 - JUNE 2015

The Shamisen Sessions
September - December 2014, as detailed below.
From traditional stages to contemporary rock, pop and jazz concerts, the three-stringed shamisen has forged art and entertainment culture in Japan for centuries and continues to shape new spheres of world music today. These four sessions spotlight some of the most sought-after shamisen musicians in Japan performing the full gamut of today's musical styles. The series includes: Hiromitsu Agatsuma + Akiko Yano (September 27), Yumiko Tanaka's shamisen improvisational accompaniment for Teinosuke Kinugasa's silent film Crossroads (November 15), A Salute to Tradition (November 20) and the Okinawan folk/pop duo SAKISHIMA meeting (December 12).

Purchase tickets to two The Shamisen Sessions events and save $4, to three and save $6, and to all four and save $8 (available for general and member-priced tickets). Discount available by visiting or calling the box office at (212) 715-1258 or by downloading the Ticket Order Form from www.japansociety.org/performingarts.

The Shamisen Sessions, Vol. 1Hiromitsu Agatsuma + Akiko Yano
Saturday, September 27 at 7:30pm (followed by a MetLife Meet-the-Artists Reception)
Virtuosic rock, pop and jazz player Hiromitsu Agatsuma on tsugaru-shamisen (the shamisen which originated in Northern Japan) and musical luminary pianist/singer-songwriter Akiko Yano perform together for the first time ever. Agatsuma's fast and aggressive playing style is showcased alongside Yano's engaging vocals and prodigious piano skills. The two are united by their inimitable ability to transform the sentimental strains of Japan's beloved folk songs (min'yo), a genre each artist has explored extensively throughout his/her career, into compelling jazz/pop tunes. Tickets: $35/$28 Japan Society members.

The Shamisen Sessions, Vol. 2Crossroads (Jujiro), a silent film by Teinosuke Kinugasa, with shamisen improvisational accompaniment by Yumiko Tanaka
Saturday, November 15 at 7:30pm
Internationally active experimental shamisen musician Yumiko Tanaka provides a thrilling improvisational soundscape to the silent film Crossroads (Jujiro, 1928). This audacious film by Cannes Film Festival Palme d'Or winner Teinosuke Kinugasa (1896-1982) depicts the love between a poor brother and sister, and features hallucinatory imagery and boundary-pushing German Expressionism-inspired set design. The program is held as part of Japan Society's 2014 Monthly Film Series, The Dark Side of the Sun: John Zorn on Japanese Cinema, curated by musical maverick and film and Japanese culture aficionado John Zorn. Tickets: $15/$12 Japan Society members, students, seniors. General admission.

The Shamisen Sessions, Vol. 4SAKISHIMA meeting, folk/pop duo from Okinawa
Friday, December 12 at 8:30pm / Cash bar opens at 7:00pm
For the final concert of the The Shamisen Sessions, Japan Society presents the smooth music of the Okinawan folk/pop duo SAKISHIMA meeting. Duo members Yukito Ara on sanshin (Okinawan shamisen) and vocals and Isamu Shimoji on guitar and vocals serenade the crowd with tunes that blend the sounds and traditions of Okinawa, Japan's southernmost islands, with popular Western riffs and beats. This cabaret-style concert is presented in Japan Society's Murase Room just off the lobby, where food and drink will be available for purchase. Tickets: $25/$20 Japan Society members. General admission. Seating is limited.

16th Contemporary Dance Showcase: Japan + East Asia
Friday, January 9 at 7:30pm (followed by a MetLife Meet-the-Artists Reception)
Saturday, January 10 at 7:30pm
The Dance Showcase, which since 1996 has "opened a window onto the East Asian scene" (The New York Times), returns with a standout lineup of groundbreaking artists from the other side of the globe. This year's showcase includes from Japan: Nobuyuki Hanabusa's group enra ("mesmerizing...versatile...fantastic" - The Huffington Post) performing Newton, an out-of-this-world amalgamation of motion graphics and choreography; Mikiko Kawamura's street style solo Alphard set to a bold soundscape with J-pop and classical music ("a visual feast" - Vietnam Breaking News); and Marmont, by Kaori Seki ("one to watch in the contemporary dance scene" - MadameFigaro.com) in which bodies morph into nebulous creature-like positions. From Taiwan: I-Fen Tung's fresh duo How to Say ("astonishing" - LaCultureria.com), a piece that grapples with communication through words and dance; and Shang-Chi Sun's Traverse, in which graceful martial arts-like movements oscillate between combat speed and tranquility ("extraordinary...unique charisma" - Leipzig Almanach). Tickets: $28/$25 Japan Society members.

Stories from the War: Reflecting on WWII through Theater
January - May, 2015, as detailed below.
A Society-wide series, Stories from the War: Reflecting on WWII through a Contemporary Lens, which centers around three theatrical programs and includes a film series, lectures and family programs, encourages reconsideration and reflection on the events, figures and issues surrounding the war and its impact on the people of the United States and Japan from a 2014 vantage point. WWII marks an important time in the shared histories of the U.S. and Japan and the seven decades since its end have been shaped by reconciliation and friendship. The theater series includes: Miwa Yanagi's Zero Hour: Tokyo Rose's Last Tape (January 29-31), Michiko Godai's Yokohama Rosa (April 25-26) and New and Traditional Noh: Holy Mother in Nagasaki and Kiyotsune (May 14-16).

Purchase tickets to all three WWII-themed theater productions and save $12 (available for general and member-priced tickets). Discount available by visiting or calling the box office at (212) 715-1258, or by downloading the Ticket Order Form from www.japansociety.org/performingarts.

Stories from the War: Reflecting on WWII through TheaterMiwa Yanagi's Zero Hour: Tokyo Rose's Last Tape / North American Premiere
Thursday, January 29 at 7:30pm (followed by MetLife Meet-the-Artists Reception); Friday, January 30 & Saturday, January 31 at 7:30pm
The centerpiece of the Spring WWII series is Miwa Yanagi's Zero Hour: Tokyo Rose's Last Tape, which recounts the story of "Tokyo Rose," the young Japanese-American woman who was stranded in Japan during WWII, forced to serve as a broadcaster for a propaganda radio program controlled by the Japanese Imperial Army and subsequently tried for treason by the United States. Seventy years later, this historic incident is brought to life through a visually stunning theatrical whodunit conceived, written and directed by internationally renowned visual artist Miwa Yanagi (one of the featured artists in Japan Society's 2011 gallery exhibition Bye Bye Kitty!! Between Heaven and Hell in Contemporary Japanese Art). Brimming with iconic imagery from her rich body of photographic work, Zero Hour tells the multi-layered story of a woman caught between two nations during the war. This marks Yanagi's North American debut as a theater artist. Performed in English and Japanese with English subtitles. Tickets: $35/$28 Japan Society members.

Stories from the War: Reflecting on WWII through TheaterMichiko Godai's Yokohama Rosa / North American Premiere
Saturday, April 25 at 7:30pm (followed by a MetLife Meet-the-Artists Reception); Sunday, April 26 at 2:30pm
Continuing the WWII theater series, legendary actress Michiko Godai presents Yokohama Rosa, an intimate portrait of a woman whose life was forever changed by WWII. In this original one-woman tragicomedy inspired by the sight of a mysterious old woman frequently observed on the streets of Yokohama and known by locals as "Merii-san," Godai transforms on stage from a vulnerable young woman to a confident prostitute out on the streets, to a lovesick middle-aged woman and finally, to a frail but compassionate lady, who is homeless. Performed in Yokohama annually on the anniversary of the end of WWII in Japan, Godai's captivating piece reveals the war's deep and lasting consequences on the most personal level. Performed in Japanese with English subtitles. Tickets: $35/$28 Japan Society members.

Stories from the War: Reflecting on WWII through TheaterNew and Traditional Noh: Holy Mother in Nagasaki and Kiyotsune
Thursday, May 14 at 7:30pm (followed by a MetLife Meet-the-Artists Reception); Friday, May 15 & Saturday, May 16 at 7:30pm
Japan Society presents a rare double bill offering plays from the modern and traditional noh repertoires. In keeping with the theme of the Society's WWII series, the evening features the poignant new play Holy Mother in Nagasaki in which a pilgrim is told about the legend of a woman who appeared to console the victims of the atomic bomb, surmised to have been the Virgin Mary herself. As a companion piece, the evening features Kiyotsune, one of the centuries-old masterpieces by Zeami, in which a grieving widow meets her warrior husband in a dream to learn of his final battle. These two complementary plays, led by renowned noh actor Kanji Shimizu of the celebrated Tessen-kai Noh Theater Association, round out the Society's WWII series, illustrating that the tragedies of war are timeless and borderless. Performed in Japanese with English subtitles. Tickets: $62/$52 Japan Society members.

This production features members of the Church of St. Francis Xavier Choir, New York. This production is presented in assistance with Tessen-kai Noh Theater Association.

Play Reading Series: Contemporary Japanese Plays in English Translation